Apple’s latest iPad mini brings a broad set of upgrades, including an 8.5-inch OLED display, a new A20 Pro chip and a thinner, lighter design. The tablet starts at $699 for 128GB of storage, $100 more than the previous model’s price after Apple’s summer increases and $200 above its launch price two years ago.
The display is one of the biggest changes. It reaches up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness for HDR content, compared with 500 nits of SDR brightness on the previous model, and can dim to 1 nit. OLED also delivers deeper blacks and a stated contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1. The screen remains limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, rather than the 120Hz ProMotion display found on the iPad Pro.
Apple has made the device slightly larger in screen size while reducing its thickness from 6.3mm to 5.4mm. The Wi-Fi model weighs 0.56 pounds, down from 0.65 pounds. The aluminum design now comes in midnight and starlight finishes.
A nano-texture glass option is available on higher-capacity models to reduce reflections in bright conditions. It requires at least 256GB of storage, bringing the price to $899, or $1,049 with 5G connectivity.
The A20 Pro replaces the A17 Pro used in the prior mini. In testing described in the review, the tablet handled demanding games such as Control and No Man’s Sky, as well as photo edits in Lightroom. Chip configurations vary by storage: the 128GB and 256GB versions have a five-core CPU and seven-core GPU, while the 512GB model has a six-core CPU and a more capable Neural Engine.
Other changes include redesigned speakers beneath the display, a landscape-positioned 12-megapixel Center Stage front camera, and an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. The tablet uses Touch ID rather than Face ID. It also adds fast charging: with a suitable power adapter, Apple says it can reach about 50 percent in 30 minutes. In the review’s test, charging from 29 to 74 percent took half an hour.
Battery life during the reviewer’s five days of use ranged from around five or six hours under heavy workloads to closer to the 10 hours Apple promises for lighter use. The review notes that a full battery test had not yet been completed.
The update makes the iPad mini more capable and improves its display and portability, but the higher price is a significant trade-off. The reviewer found the upgrades worthwhile, while questioning whether the extra cost will make the compact tablet too niche for many buyers.
Sources: Engadget.